Bottle carrier



Jan. 25, 1949. B. COMER 2,459,921

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed March 31, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

' B ur f 6007a A 7' TORNE Ys,

Jan. 25, 1949. B. COMER 2,459,921

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed March 31, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Illl lllllll IIIA7" 7' ORNE VJ.

Patented Jan. 25, 1949 UNITED STATES eATENr OFFICE Burt Comer, Wichita,Kana. assignmoione third to I. F. Comer and one-third to Jerry B. Comer,both of Wichita, Karla.

Application March 31, 1945, Serial No. 585,982

3 Claims. (Cl. 220-21) more particularly to a device for carrying aplurality of bottles, for delivery of such bottles usually filled withsoft drinks or the like.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which may be made from a continuous strip of material, andparticularly sheet metal, aluminum or the like, bent to form a bottom,top, andv walls and a partition.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a bottle carrier of lightweight, yet suiflciently rigid to withstand the usage to which it issubjected; to provide a bottle carrier for carrying a plurality ofbottles which may be entered from the top of the carrier and havingmeans in the top and bottom for spacing the bottles one from another toprevent damage to the bottles; to provide means for grasping of thecarrier for transporting from place to place; to provide a carrier for asmall number of bottles for carrying by an individual from a place ofpurchase; and to provide a device simple and economical to manufactureand efficient in use.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are11- lustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier embodying the features or myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of a carrier embodying the features of myinvention showing the framework before it is completely in assembledrelation.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the carrier.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a section of the bottom of the carriershowing the upwardly extending knobs for holding the bottoms of thebottles in spaced relation.

Fig 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of my invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the carrier shown in Fig. 5, showing theparts in disassembled relation.

Fig. '7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the modified form ofthe invention.

Fig. 8 is a further modified form of my invention, particularly adaptedfor carrying six bottles and illustrating the carrying means.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

I designates a bottle carrier embodying the features of my inventionformed from a continuous sheet of material, preferably sheet metal,

2 aluminum or the like, comprising a bottom 2, top 3, end walls 4, andvertical partition .6.

The framework of the carrier may be formed in any suitable manner, but Ipreferably stamp the strip of material from sheet metal or the like, andthe bottom, ends, top and partition members stamped so that they may bebent to conform to theirv final shape as shown in Fig. 1, and thisprocedure is particularly illustrated in Fig. 2, i. e., the bottom" maybe formed in the middle of the strip and the ends bent upwardly, the tophalf of the strips 6 and l bent to converge towards each other, with theextreme inner ends 8 and 8 turned downwardly to contact each other insubstantially the center of the carrier to form the partition 5. Thebottom is provided wlth upwardly turned flanges lo, the top withdownwardly turned flanges II, the ends with laterally turned flanges l2,and the inner ends 8 and 9 forming the partition are provided withlateral flanges l3 and M to increase rigidity in the structure. Thelower edges of the partition are provided with laterally turned flangesl5 to engage the bottom 2, and may be fastened thereto by soldering,brazing, welding or the like. Each of the flanged edges of the bottom,top, ends and partition portions is cut at an angle, as indicated at16,- Fig. 2, so that they will fit snugly together and may be rigidlysecured in any suitable manner, such as welding, brazing or the like.Thus, when the strip of sheet metal is finally in the finished form, asshown in Fig. 1, it will be a compact rigid construction.

The ends of the carrier are provided with openings I 'l and the sidesare left open, as indicated at l8, to provide a structure of lightweight. The ends are also provided with hand holes l9 and are formed bystamping or the like, with the stamped-out portion turned upwardly as at20, Fig. 3, to provide a smooth surface for the hands of the carrier.

The top of the carrier is provided with a plurality of openings 2|through which the bottles are inserted for carrying, the openings beingprovided with downturned flanges 22 to prevent marring of the bottlesand to also provide strength and rigidity to the top structure. I alsopreferably stamp in the top portion 3 of the device beads or the like 23which will also stiflen the top portion and make a more rigid structure.

The bottom 2 is provided with a plurality of knobs 24 which are stampedor otherwise formed in the bottom and so positioned with relation to theopenings 2| in the top portion that a group of four of such knobs willengage the bottom 26 of a bottle, as best illustrated in Fig. 4, toprevent the bottles from contacting each other. It is well known thatbottles used for soft drinks and the like are usually subjected tofairly high pressure. and slight marring or scratching of the bottleswill cause a defect therein which necessitates destroying the bottle.With applicant's arrangement of the apertures in the top of theframework and knobs inthe bottom thereof, the bottles will not contacteach other during transportation. I also provide a plurality of openings21 in the bottom 2 to allow moisture or liquids to escape from thebottom of the carrier. This also tends to make a lighter structure ofthe carrier without detracting from its strength.

With a carrier constructed and assembled as described, the bottles maybe inserted through the openings in the top and the bottoms assume theirrespective places between the knobs in the bottom of the carrier. Theheight of the carrier is so constructed that the bottles will extendsome distance above the top. Preferably, the sides of the openingsengage the bottle at the upper part of the body just below the taperedportion forming part of the neck of the bottle. Contact of the top ofthe carrier with the bottles at this point synchronizes with the knobsin the bottom of the carrier to hold the bottles in substantiallyvertical position when the carrier is in horizontal position. It willalso tend to retain the bottles in spaced position should the {carrierbe grasped by one end and such end raised above the other end. With thecarrier so constructed a considerable number of them may be stacked oneon top of the other either with the bottles therein or empty forshipping.

Referring to the form of invention shown in Figs, 5, 6 and 7, thecarrier consists of a bottom 28 having upwardly extending end flanges 29and side flanges 30 formed from a strip of material, such as sheetmetal, aluminum or any material suitable for this purpose. The top andend portions are formed in two sections 3| and 32. Each section may bestamped from a single strip of material as stated in connection with thebottom portion 28, havin ends 33 and top 34. The tops are provided withdownturned flanges 35 of a sufficient width to meet with the upturnedflanges 38 on the bottom portion for a purpose later described. The endportions 33 are also provided with laterally turned triangle shapedflanges 36. The inner or mating edges of the top and end sections 3| and32 are provided with downwardly turned portions 31 to provide a verticalpartition 38 for the device when in assembled relation.

In assembling a structure as shown in the modified form just described,the bottom 28 and top and end sections 3| and 32 may be stamped fromseparate strips of sheet metal and bent to the shapes as shown in Fig.6. The top and end sections are then placed on the bottom 28 so that theends 33 will rest on the bottom 28 inside the flange 29, as indicated at39, Fig. 7, and secured thereto by any suitable method, such asriveting, welding, soldering, brazing or the like. The inner ends 31forming the partition 38 will contact snugly together forming thevertical partition, also as illustrated in Fig. '7. The upwardlyextending side flanges 30 on the bottom 28 will'mate with the downturnedside flanges 35 on the top sections, the side flanges 38 being cut at anangle as indicated at 48, to mate with the angle of the inturned flanges36 on the respective ends of the sections 3| and 32, the mating edges ofthe respective portions being fastened together or other suitablemethod. The indentations 43 are provided at substantially the centersthereof with openings 44 to allow moisture, liquid or the like to escapefrom the bottom of the carrier. It will thus be seen that theindentations will form nests for the bottoms of the bottles wheninserted in the carrier. They will provide embossments 45 on the bottomofthe carrier. The ends 33 of the respective top sections are alsoprovided with hand holes 46 which may be made by stamping, as inconnection with the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4,with the edge turned upwardly as indicated at 41, to provide a smoothsurface for contact with the hands of the user.

With the carrier formed as shown in this modified structure, theembossments 45 will be in alignment or registry with the openings 4| inthe top and keep the bottles in vertical position, as in connection withthe forms shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, and further, the embossments 45will tend to nest in the openings II when the carriers are stacked oneon top of the other for shipment when empty or when merely placed instorage.

The form of invention shown in Fig. 8 is par,- ticularly adapted forretail use where preferably six or more bottles of soft drinks are soldand carried out of the place of purchase by the user. With this form ofinvention the carrier may be formed from a continuous strip of materialand shaped to form a bottom 48, sides 49, top 50, and vertical partition5|. The outer ends of the sheet material are bent according to thestructure shown in the forms of the invention previously described sothat the mating ends 52 and 53 come together and form the partition 5|,the bottom edges of the partition being secured to the bottom 48 atsubstantially the center thereof in any suitable manner; such as weldingor the like, thus forming two parallel compartments for reception of thebottles. The top of the carrier is provided with openings 54 havingdownturned flanges 55 and the bottom is provided with upwardly extendingknobs 5B aligning with the openings 54 for holding the bottles in spacedrelation, as in connection with the form of the invention shown in Figs.1 to 4 inclusive. The knobs are formed in the bottom by stamping orother suitable manner. The bottom is also provided with openings 51 toallow fluid to escape from the bottom of the carrier. If desired, thebottom of this form of the invention. may be provided with indentationsor pockets for retaining the bottoms of the bottles as shown in Figs. 5,6 and 7. 7

A collapsible handle member 58 may be attached to the partition of thecarrier in any suitable manner, such as by cutting or stamping out aportion of the top member and partition to form a pocket 59 for thereception of the collapsible members so that the members may be attachedto the partition by rivets or the like (not shown). .The' carryingmember is formed with telescopic sections andprovided with a handle 6|so that when not in use, the carrier member may be collapsed to lie flatwith the top of the carrier so as to not interfere in stacking of thedevices in shipment or storage.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that I have provided an improvedcarrier which may be stamped from a single sheet of material or made insections, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7, or other suitable sections, andformed together to provide a simple, rigid, light and economicalstructure for the purpose set forth.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bottle carrying device cut from a sheet of relative stifi materialand bent to form a bottom, top, end walls and a partition extendingparallel with the end walls substantially midway of the device, thebottom being formed at substantially the center of the sheet, therespective edges of said sheet being turned to provide flanges on therespective edges of the bottom, top, end walls and partition, theflanges at the bent points of the sheets being cut away so that theedges of the flanges at the bent points will meet to form a rigidstructure, said top having a plurality of openings for spacing the topsof the bottles, and means on said bottom for spacing the bottoms of thebottles.

2. A bottle carrying device cut from a sheet of relative stiff materialand bent to form a bottom, top, endwalls and a partition extendingparallel with the end walls substantially midway of the device, thebottom being formed at substantially the center of the sheet, means forsecuring the partition to the bottom, the respective edges of said sheetbeing turned to provide flanges on the respective edges of the bottom,top, end walls and partition, the flanges at the bent points of thesheets being cut away so that the edges of the flanges at the bentpoints will meet to form a rigid structure, said top having a pluralityof openings for spacing the tops of the bottles, and means on saidbottom for spacing the bottoms of the bottles.

3. A bottle carrying device cut from a sheet of relative stifi materialand bent to form a bottom, top, end walls and a partition extendingparallel with the end walls substantially midway of the device, thebottom being formed at substantially the center of the sheet, means forsecuring the partition to the bottom, the respective edges of said sheetbeing turned to provide flanges on the respective edges of the bottom,top, end walls and partition, the flanges at the bent points of thesheets being cut away so that the edges of the flanges at the bentpoints will meet to form a rigid structure, means for securing saidmeeting edges of the flanges together, said top having a plurality ofopenings for spacing the tops of the bottles, and means on said bottomfor spacing the bottoms of the bottles.

BURT COMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Potter Apr. 17, 1945

